Decision sheet — Claims, billing & privacy
Questions to ask before paying
Do not pay for a tracking service until you can write down five things: which devices it supports and what data source it uses, the full price and how often it renews, how and when a free trial turns into a charge, how you cancel, and how you get a refund or delete your data. Cancellation happens where you were billed: the App Store or Google Play Subscriptions screen, or the company's own site for a web sign-up.
- Read7–9 min read
- You needThe offer's terms page and your App Store or Google Play account
- Works onApp Store subscriptions · Google Play subscriptions · website sign-ups
Verified: October 2026 against Apple, Google Play and FTC official pages.
Do not pay until you know the exact supported devices, features, renewal rules, refund terms and data handling. Subscriptions keep billing until you cancel them in the right place, and a moving map in an ad is not evidence that the service can deliver anything.
Questions to answer before you enter payment details
- What exactly am I buying, and on which device? Get the supported iPhone or Android versions and the feature list in writing. If the offer says it works from a phone number alone, stop — a number is not a data source for location, and nothing you pay will change that.
- What does it cost, and how often? Google Play says its subscriptions are for an indefinite term and charge at the beginning of each billing cycle until you unsubscribe. Note the price, the interval (weekly, monthly, yearly) and the currency before you confirm.
- When does a free trial become a charge? The FTC advises finding the terms and conditions for the offer, watching for pre-checked boxes, and putting a reminder on your calendar to cancel before the trial ends. Apple says to cancel a trial at least 24 hours before it ends if you don't want it to renew.
- Where do I cancel? For App Store billing: Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions > the subscription > Cancel Subscription. For Google Play: Play Store > subscriptions > Manage > Cancel subscription. If you sign up on a website instead, the cancellation method is whatever that company's terms say — find it before you pay.
- Can I get a refund? Apple says some purchases might be eligible for a refund through reportaproblem.apple.com, and that eligibility varies by country or region. Google Play says most apps are made by third-party developers, who can process refunds under their own policies; contacting the developer is often quickest.
- What happens to my data if I stop? Check the store's privacy section and the provider's privacy policy for a deletion path. Keep screenshots of the price, the trial terms and the cancellation steps you were shown.
Where are you in the purchase?
Pick the moment you are at, and read what to check or do now.
Save the terms first.
A trial is a subscription with a delayed first charge. The FTC says the terms should tell you what you are agreeing to, how long the trial lasts and how to cancel before you are charged; if you can't find those details, don't sign up.
Do this: Screenshot the price and trial length, untick pre-checked boxes, and set a calendar reminder a day or more before the trial ends.
Cancel before the renewal date.
Google Play says it may place an authorisation hold on your payment method up to 48 hours before the next renewal period, so the practical deadline is earlier than the renewal date itself. Cancellation happens in the store's Subscriptions screen; the first billing fact below explains why deleting the app is not enough.
Do this: Open your store's subscription list now and cancel; keep a screenshot of the confirmation.
That is normal.
Google Play says you keep using a cancelled subscription for the time you already paid for. On Apple, if there is no Cancel button or you see an expiry message in red, the subscription is already cancelled.
Do this: Check the expiry date and make sure no new charge appears after it.
Find out who bills you.
Apple says that if you can't find an Apple receipt for a subscription, you might have bought it from another company, and your bank or card statement shows who bills you. Google Play asks you to report unauthorised charges within 120 days of the transaction.
Do this: Match the charge to a receipt; if it is not yours, report it through the store or your card issuer.
Ask for a refund and dispute if needed.
If the service never showed a location from a device you set up, it could not deliver what it sold. Request a refund through the store or the company; the FTC describes disputing through your credit or debit card account if charges continue after you tried to cancel.
Do this: Keep records of your requests and report problems to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Billing facts people get wrong
- Uninstalling is not cancelling
- Google Play states plainly that when you uninstall an app, your subscription won't cancel. Apple's cancellation page sends you to Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions and does not describe uninstalling as a way to stop billing. An app's location permission and its subscription are separate settings, so changing one leaves the other as it was.
- Trials end on a schedule, not when you stop using them
- Apple says to cancel a trial at least 24 hours before it ends if you don't want it to renew. The FTC recommends a calendar reminder for exactly that reason. Not opening the app does not stop the first charge.
- Refunds are possible, not promised
- Apple says some purchases might be eligible and eligibility varies by country or region. Google says refund policies differ by what you bought, when and how you paid, and where you are. Neither store guarantees a refund for a service that disappointed you.
- Website sign-ups follow the company's terms
- If you pay a company directly rather than through the App Store or Google Play, the store's cancellation and refund tools do not apply. Apple notes that a subscription without an Apple receipt may have been bought from another company, which you must contact.
- No price is “normal”
- This guide does not quote prices: they vary by seller, region and time, and the official sources do not publish benchmarks. The right price is the one written in the terms you saved.
Paying through a store vs paying a website directly
| App Store (Apple) | Google Play | Website sign-up | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where to cancel | Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions | Play Store > subscriptions > Manage | Whatever the company's terms say |
| Does uninstalling cancel? | Not described on Apple's cancel page — cancel in Subscriptions | No — uninstalling won't cancel | Per the company's terms |
| Trial timing | Cancel at least 24 h before the trial ends | Billing per your subscription terms | Read the offer's terms |
| Refund route | reportaproblem.apple.com; eligibility varies by region | Often the developer first; Google refund policies | The company, then your card issuer |
| After cancelling | Already cancelled if no Cancel button / red expiry text | Access until the paid period ends | Per the company's terms |
| Unrecognised charge | Check receipts; another company may bill you | Report within 120 days | Card issuer dispute |
Save the terms before starting
Trial
Record when a charge begins and what action ends the trial. Put the cancel-by date in your calendar.
Renewal
Check the billing interval and the cancellation channel before you pay. Permissions and billing are separate settings, so switching off location access does not end a subscription.
Feature promise
Verify the supported device and data source before payment. A moving map animation is not proof of access.
Free options first
Find My, Find Hub and Apple and Google family location sharing are part of the platform. Check whether they already cover your own or an agreed family member's device before buying a separate service.
Paying more does not buy access that the platform does not give: every lawful tracker reads location from a device it was set up on, through the permission that device's owner granted. A higher plan can add features, but it cannot add a data source — so judge a price by what the terms say you get, not by what the advert shows.
Official sources (checked October 2026)
Questions people ask
If I delete the app, will the subscription stop?
Not on Google Play: it says that when you uninstall an app, your subscription won't cancel. Apple's cancellation page does not describe deleting the app as cancelling either. Cancel in your store's Subscriptions screen.
How do I cancel an App Store subscription on iPhone?
In Settings, tap your name, tap Subscriptions, tap the subscription, then tap Cancel Subscription. If there is no Cancel button or you see an expiry message in red, it is already cancelled.
When should I cancel a free trial?
Before it converts. Apple says to cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends if you don't want it to renew, and the FTC suggests putting a reminder on your calendar when you sign up.
Can I get my money back?
Possibly. Apple says some purchases might be eligible for a refund through reportaproblem.apple.com, with eligibility varying by region. On Google Play, contacting the app's developer is often the quickest route; Google's own refund policies also apply.
Why was my card held before the renewal?
Google Play says an authorisation hold may be placed on your payment method up to 48 hours before the next renewal period. Cancelling before renewal stops the next charge.
I see a tracking charge but no Apple or Google receipt.
Apple says you might have bought the subscription from another company; your bank or card statement shows who bills you. Contact that company to cancel, and dispute with your card issuer if it keeps charging.
Is a cheaper tracker less safe?
Price says nothing about safety. Read the store's privacy section and the provider's deletion process for the version you actually pay for, and keep a copy of what they say.
Where do I report a subscription I couldn't cancel?
The FTC says to report problems cancelling a subscription, or charges you didn't agree to, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Keep a copy of your cancellation request and notes of any conversations.